PAC 2015-16

[Prelude Extract]Deputy John Deasy: At last week's meeting, we dealt with the special investigations unit and spent quite some time dealing with the case of Mr. Tom Galvin and the slaughtering of pigs on his farm in 2002.

At the meeting, the Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine gave an undertaking that an internal report that was conducted in 2005 by the Department would be sent for review to a new steering group being set up within the Department.

We need to ascertain whether that step or action has been taken since the meeting. If not, we should find out when the review will be called for within the Department. Maybe we need to follow up on that undertaking that was given by the Secretary General at the meeting.

I have spoken to Mr. Galvin since last week's hearing and he has indicated to me willingness to participate in that review - something that did not happen when the internal review was conducted in 2005.

The second point has to do with an undertaking given by the Secretary General on what we dealt with yesterday, the announcing of the report on the fishery harbours.

When can we expect the Department to meet Enterprise Ireland and Bord Iascaigh Mhara with regard to the promotion of business within those fishery harbours and the use of the buildings at the fishery harbours? Could we get a date with regard to that meeting? I think we should follow up on that as well.

Chairman [John McGuinness]: Deputy Deasy raised a number of issues of concern arising from last week. We asked that they would respond comprehensively in writing to the issues that were raised by the group that we had met, the individuals affected by the SIU.

We said we would highlight a number of cases where we had correspondence, for example, with Charles Farrell, Mr. Harrington and Mr. Shine. They asked that we bring those matters to their attention and said that they would respond forthwith.

Deputy John Deasy: We had also asked that they release the internal report that was cited by the Secretary General when it came to Mr. Galvin. That was agreed, pending the receipt of legal advice. I ask the Chairman to follow up that and ask if it can be made available to the committee.

Chairman: We will remind them of all of these issues and send them a transcript of the meeting. In fairness to those who made the submission, they should also receive a transcript of the meeting because Mr. O'Driscoll made it perfectly clear that he felt it was untrue or even that they might have been telling lies, to put it another way.

If that is the case, then those people should be given the opportunity to respond. I would ask that the transcript be sent to those people who made a submission and who gave us details of their experiences with the SIU.